Monday, June 13, 2016

The stress knitting has slowed a smidgeon, mostly because the hands have had to be on the keyboard rather than the knitting needles and no matter how much I'd like to be stress knitting, typing can be slightly more productive in reducing the stressful workload.

Last weekend I made a run down to Purdue for a two-day workshop. It was rejuvenating and interesting and I got to make plans with a colleague for a spring 2017 project (I said "hey..next March" and he was all O_o but realistically that is when we'll be able to look at it.).

And while there I got to start on skein 3 of 4 for my Firecracker Nuvem. I was very very bored and done with the second skein. The first skein was a push to get through nothing but black, I knew that was going to be tedious but also it was the beginning of the project, so it was exciting.

Skein 2 was not exciting. It was the least bright of the three skeins and knitted up, the yarn muted further. I was actively struggling to find enthusiasm to finish it. But now I'm onto the first skein with a fair amount of teal in it--which, in all honesty, is a big reason for this project. Pops of teal. Also, look at me past the 50% mark!

The transition is subtle, I don't think you'll see where skein 2 becomes 3, unlike the change from skein 1 (yes, I realize I should have done 20 rows building into the color from the black, I didn't, oh well).

It's coming slowly. I am knitting sometimes on the train when I can squeeze space and don't feel like I'm going to be slamming into people. I'm listening to Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, which is ~14 hours per book and there are 8 books. In theory, I've got almost enough time each week on my commute that I should be able to get through one book a week just on the train. In practice of course, this is not the case. But I'm mostly through book 1 and I'm enjoying it again. there are pieces of the text that I know I had skimmed over in print that, in audio, I cannot fast forward through because it's been so long. And skein 3 has pops of color as I go, so I can pull out a length and there's some bright red coming up or intense yellow to distract me.

I'm hoping to finish the shawl long before I finish the books. I'd like to get some other knitting done this summer.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Stash Day finally started! A week ago. But I wasn't really participating until May 31, which is when I cast off and blocked my first two objects.

First up is the Lady Bertram Shawl by Wendy Johnson. I was pleased how this turned out, though was very burnt out on it at the end. Johnson calls for Chart A, Chart B, Chart C, Chart A, cast off. Only, I still had a LOT of yarn left. Not enough to do another project and I was through enough for Loopy Academy but still...so onwards I went A, B, C, A, B, C, and then while in the first four rows of A (round 3!) I said enough. I could have done a complete repeat of A the third time but I'm okay with having not.

Gypsy, of course, was helping with blocking. This is in the gift bin, waiting a final home.

This project was supposed to be a hat, but it took a sharp left turn when I realized that because I hadn't read really much of anything properly, it wouldn't take enough yarn to meet Loopy Academy requirements. So I went for a double layered cowl instead and plowed through.

I'm not entirely convinced of it's final existence. I really liked the yarn (shocking, it's BMFA STR) but I don't know about the cowl. I might rip back the doubled part; I might pull out the whole thing. We'll see. Right now it's still on the blocking mats.

And then last weekend the Philosopher and I went to the Indy500! It was my first trip to the race, though I grew up listening to it and have an odd amount of knowledge squirreled away, most of which I assume I absorbed from the local radio broadcasts. I pay attention to no other races, but bring up the Andretti or the Uncer families or mention something about pit stop times and I suddenly have thoughts and feelings.

The centipedes went with us. They thought traffic should have been faster driving down I-65. Only 2 mph above the speed limit average speed? You'd think we were in a state that didn't race.

On the way to the actual race, I knit in the van and I pulled out the sock for just a minute or two midrace to do a few stitches. Things were happening rather fast (200+ mph) and we all had a couple of drinks and I didn't want to accidentally stick anyone with a size 0 (2.0 mm) DPN. Tetanus shots + racing don't go together. We were sitting in the straightaway as you came out of turn 4. It was a fantastic experience!